Daredevil stowaway chicken survives 56mph cross-county hitch-hike on back of a lorry

It was only after workers arrived after a 35-minute drive from their depot in Hartwell, Northants, to start work repairing potholes, that a keen-eyed resident spotted the pointy-beaked stowaway.

Once alerted, surprised workers then had to try to catch the off-hen-ding hitchhiker – hot on its tail was Luke Stinson.

He said: “I left the farm where these lorries are stored in North Bucks, drove past the A45 past Billing, to Irthlingborough to carry out some maintenance work on the roads. We stopped outside a gentleman’s house and the chap said ‘is that your chicken?’

"I said what chicken? Whereupon, me and the helpful gentleman ran round the cul-de-sac chasing the chicken and rescued it."

Wanting to keep the creature safe, it was locked up in the cab of the lorry as the road team cracked on with the pothole repairs. When peckish, the unexpected guest was offered bread from Luke’s tuna sandwich and water in a tea mug.

Crew members found ‘evidence’ the bird had been roosting on their truck near a hopper filled with roadmending grit.

Luke said: “It’s done some miles and it’s been sat on the back of the lorry going 56mph on the dual carriageway, so it’s done bloomin’ well to get here."

To prevent any further distress to the bird, Luke drove his new-found friend all the way back to the depot to reunite it with the free-range flock. Luke added: “I just can’t believe it – it’s a 25-mile drive.”